Since the Republicans took control of the WV State Legislature in 2014, they’ve been passing a whole lot of tax breaks for oil and gas companies. The breaks are estimated to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars, which is (not coincidentally) basically the same amount as our budget shortfall. So they keep giving…

Thank you for educating me. I’m in favor of the teachers, and their right to strike, all the way. And I want to see them get the pay raise they are striking for. But I’m especially supportive of the teacher’s strike because I know the oil and gas companies have been raking in the big bucks over the last 6 or so years.…

Actually I don’t. I do not get paid for the 10 weeks I have off.

I’m following this story via a Facebook Friend* who teaches in WV. She just wants this all to be over so she can get back to teaching and make a livable wage doing it. She has students she worries over that she hasn’t seen in over a week.

I’ve been teaching for over a decade, I like my job, but it can be draining and exhausting. It’s mind boggling to read about teachers taking second (OR THIRD) jobs.

“Despite the fact that it is illegal for teachers to strike in West Virginia,”

Should any of the striking teachers see this, please know how much I support what you are doing. Thank you for standing up, even though it is terribly difficult to do so. Demand what you’re worth (well, we all know you’re all worth a hell of a lot more than what you’re fighting for.) Don’t give up!

Please read this profile of WV state Sen. Richard Ojeda, retired Army major and congressional candidate who’s making Trump country rediscover the labor struggle and rekindling its alliance with the Democratic Party:

Too bad Trump was in FL, he missed his chance to run out there unarmed to stop the shooter.

Too late to edit, but also not come with all of these damn apps. I only want apps that I select, not crap that bogs down and clutters up the device. So, no, not a tablet at all.

An itty bitty tablet that could easily fit in a pocket. Not this giant thing I am using for this. It also needs to be able to text like a phone.

Except for the size and sleekness, this is kind of the opposite of what I want in a phone. I want a phone that doesn’t even take phone calls. However, I do want to be able to book hotel reservations or find restaurants while I am on the move. I want to get directions and check weather. I could easily do without the…

I left my house last night and got about 2 miles away and realized I forgot my phone. It was kind of freeing until I thought about, what if I’m in an accident. Then I thought, if that happens there will be 20 people in cars around me with one, I’m good.

Perfect for kids? Not for $400 it’s not. $40 flip phones exist for that exact reason.

But why does a simple phone that does nothing more than a cheap flip phone have to be 400 bucks? Is it THAT hard to squeeze that functionality into a thin form-factor? It’s the pretentiousness of the price more than anything.

I totally get the desire to have a more simple device, and it’s absolutely legit. But I DO think it’s completely fair to snark on people spending $400 for the privilege of having a non-smart phone that looks all fancy and new and cool when they could just go to Walmart or Costco or Total Wireless or whatever and pick…

My impossible fantasy is a brick phone that can also run Google Maps

I’m youngish and have stuck with my flip phone for all these years (my current one is about 7 years old and going strong) largely because I’m very cheap and don’t need a fancy game machine. But goddamn it is annoying to have the same conversation over and over when people are surprised to see me using my phone in…

Or you could just delete the Instagram/twitter/facebook/tinder/etc. apps...

If I wait for awhile, is it possible that the early-adopter-smug stink will come off? I’m right smack in the millennial age bracket and generally Tech Savvy but didn’t get a smartphone til 2013. I’m starting to feel myself sucked into it more and more in the last year or so and I DON’T LIKE IT. Gimme my weird little…